Royal Bank of Scotland was yesterday accused of “blatant abuse of the immigration system” by importing cheaper foreign labour to replace redundant workers.

The Professional Contractors Group (PCG), the representative body for 1.4 million freelance workers, says a number of roles are being filled through Intra Company Transfers (ICTs), a system set up to allow employees of multinational companies to bring in specialist skills flexibly to fill shortages on temporary basis from overseas.